With the help of this site, I made my first stuffed pie last Friday (2/2). I grew up in Chicago and wanted to make a pizza as close as possible to those that I used to eat at Guy's on North Ave.

I had realistic/low expectations for my first attempt and was completely blown away by how close it was to an authentic stuffed pizza.

I'll try to post a pic (I don't have one here) and more detailed info if requested. I used a 10" dark anodized springform pan. I used Buzz's crust recipe and handled it minimally (less than two minutes of kneading). The dough rose at room temp for 9 hours. I rolled the dough to about 1/8" thick and placed it over/in the springform that had been sprayed with regular Pam. The dough wouldn't stay in the corners so I helped it with 8 oz of part skim (Kroger brand) shredded mozz cheese. I bought fresh bulk italian sausage from the local store and seared it in good size chunks. I cooked it probably 80%. I put 8-oz sausge over the cheese along with some spinach that I blanched (just water). I put another 4-6 oz of cheese on next. I kinda smashed the filling in to hold the bottom crust down.

I used a rolling pin on the springform to trim the crust. Next I rolled the top crust (less than 1/8" thick) and trimmed it to about 11.5" diameter with a plate. I put this on top of the pie. The top crust butted up against the bottom crust. I then folded and pinched the bottom crust over the top crust. I made several cuts in the top crust to keep it from bubbling. For the sauce I used some Hunts organic crushed tomatoes that I seasoned with some Thai hot sauce and little salt. I put about 1.5-2 cups of sauce on the pizza and sprinkled shredded parmesan on top of the pie. I cooked it for 37 minutes at 450 degrees in the center of the oven. The internal temp of 150 degrees when I pulled it. I think it was cooked perfectly (crust was just right).

It was some of the best pizza I've ever had. It wasn't exactly the same as Guy's though. My parents each had a piece (leftover) and they agreed that it was really close. The sauce wasn't quite right. The Guy's sauce was seasoned differently (more of a tomato essence and much darker in color). I should have used grated, not shredded parmesan. Other than sauce, the flavor/texture was dead on. My crust wasn't quite as thin and more flaky than Guy's. I probably need to practice the dough manipulation/assembly.

Overall, I surprised myself. I'm not much of a baker but I'm anal and obsessed with pizza. Since Friday I've had pizza on the brain constantly. Kinda scary. I've been looking for a reason to make another (I have to limit how many of these I make so it doesn't impact my other passion). My brother is coming over in two weeks and I'll make one for him. He's very critical and should offer good feedback. How I make the improvements is another question.